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PGA Championship Tuesday, May 18, 2021 Kiawah Island, South Carolina, USA The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Jim Richerson Seth Waugh put it together. Really have to thank the owner, Bill Kerry Haigh Goodwin here, of Kiawah Island Golf Resort; Roger Warren, who's the president of the resort and a PGA Press Conference member, past president of our association; Brian Gerard, the director of golf operations; Jeff Stone, the superintendent who's just got the golf course in JULIUS MASON: Good morning, everyone, and thank you phenomenal condition. very much for being with us this week for the playing of the 2021 PGA Championship, as we get back to our regular I think you've heard that from players already this week, May date. Before we tee off on Thursday morning at 7:00 how firm and fast and what a test the Ocean Course is we want to make sure you have some quality time with the going to be this week. PGA of America president, Jim Richerson, CEO Seth Waugh, and chief championships officer, Kerry Haigh. And our Carolinas PGA, the section here that covers the state, both North and South Carolina, almost 1,800 PGA Jim, this is always a very special week in golf and the members and the job that they're doing as part of this sports world, but there's a little something different about championship and all the work that they're doing to grow this year's championship, isn't there? the game has been unbelievable. JIM RICHERSON: Yeah, thanks, Julius. Obviously the Even though we had to adjust like everybody did this past last year has been really challenging for everyone in the year, we saw golf really kind of bounce back in record country. This event is our championship, and we like to numbers. Rounds of golf were up 14 percent year over treat it as our 28,000 are like family and our players and year. We had over a half a million new juniors that got our champions are like family. introduced to the game, and our 28,000 men and women around the country were at the forefront of that introducing First and foremost we're missing two of our champions this and inviting new players into the game and keeping them year, two-time PGA champion Vijay Singh had to pull out, engaged as we move forward into 2021. and four-time PGA champion Tiger Woods won't be here. We wish them both a speedy recovery. Hopefully Vijay There was a lot that we had to deal with as an association, feels well enough to play next week in the KitchenAid as an industry this past year. A lot to be proud of. And Senior PGA in Tulsa. then we are now here today for the 2021 PGA back in May, and we've got some exciting things. We all hope that Tiger has a speedy recovery and gets back to being 100 percent as a father and hopefully we see Our week kicked off yesterday with our PGA HOPE him back out on the TOUR and our events later this year. Secretary's Cup, which if you're not aware, HOPE stands for Helping Our Patriots Everywhere. We've got hundreds Last year was a big challenge for the entire industry. 2020 of PGA members around the country that are involved in at Harding Park was a really interesting PGA that program. It's the only golf program for veterans that Championship. Kerry Haigh and his team did an actually is approved by the VA as rehabilitation. unbelievable job in a lot of respects. It may have been our most successful PGA Championship, being able to pull it So it's not just teaching them golf but it's helping with life off in the way that Kerry and the team and the PGA did in skills and kind of acclimating back into society. When you that type of environment. hear those veterans talk about how much that program means to them, how it saved their life, how it saved their Fast forwarding to today, we're here at the Ocean Course relationships and their marriages, it's pretty powerful to at Kiawah. Unbelievable amount of work and the team that think that the game of golf is utilizing a way to do that is 107528-2-1095 2021-05-18 19:36:00 GMT Page 1 of 10 pretty special. is going to help them in their everyday games. And then of course this week it's about our championship, Hopefully they'll be able to watch the best players in the our major, and part of that is our team of 20, our 20 PGA world this week but also get some tips that'll help their club professionals that qualified for this championship. game, as well. We're very proud of the work that they do in representing all 28,000, not only operating and teaching and coaching JULIUS MASON: Jim, golf has seen a huge rise in the game at the highest level, but playing the game at the popularity and rounds played over the last year as a result highest level. of the pandemic. That increase has raised a huge demand for more employees within the industry. How can the PGA Kind of led by our champion, Omar Uresti, and we've got of America help? some other really skilled players, Danny Balin for instance, or Rob Labritz are both playing in their eighth PGA JIM RICHERSON: Well, it is a large industry. $84 billion Championship. They're great players. Rob made the cut industry. Over two million jobs are created by the golf at Bethpage Black a couple years ago, so we're looking industry. We've seen -- we talked about record numbers forward to cheering that team of 20 on and hopefully this past year, not only in rounds of golf, but club sales and seeing them play on the weekend, as well. the industry as a whole is in a really positive place. We've had a lot that's gone on the last year. The entire Now it's really our job to keep those new golfers engaged, staff of the PGA of America led by Seth and the keep them playing the game, but it's also a great thing to championship team led by Kerry and really our 28,000 men get involved with. and women have bounced back and I think really helped drive the industry forward, and we're seeing those rounds We have 18 PGM universities and colleges around the continue to be at record numbers into 2021. country that offer a professional golf management program, and it's a great time to get into golf as an Hopefully we'll be able to shine a spotlight this week not industry. People that are involved in the industry are very only on the greatest players in the game, but also on some passionate about golf, very passionate about growing the of the great work that's being done by PGA members game, and right now it's a great time to get involved. around the country. The industry is thriving. We're looking to hire very qualified JULIUS MASON: Jim, I also know you're really excited young men and women or those that are looking for about a new programming element that we're launching second careers. We'd love nothing better if somebody is this week. Can you talk about that? excited about the game and wants to get involved and make it a career, we have opportunities either through our JIM RICHERSON: Yeah, the PGA Coaching Live and the partnerships with the university programs or just through Coaching Channel, for the first time we have it on the PGA of America itself. driving range. From today through Friday that'll be on PGA.com as well as ESPN+, but some of the best coaches It's a great industry with a lot of great people and a lot of in the country really analyzing the best players in the world, really passionate people, and the PGA professional is a big but also how to help the recreational golfer, the everyday part of that. golfer. So we'd love to invite those that are interested in getting We have our teacher of the year, Mark Blackburn. We've involved in the game to play it, interested in going into it as got professionals like Joanna Coe, Joe Hallett, Rich Jones, a career or interested in being involved in any way and then Collin Morikawa's coach who helped him to a possible, we've got opportunities and options for them. major victory; Rick Sessinghaus is here, too. We've got our own career services department at the PGA He's been splitting time between the golf course with of America, led by Scott Kmiec and the team, and they're Collin, obviously getting him ready to defend this year, but doing great work in elevating the status of PGA members also giving tips to the recreational golfer but also analyzing into? General managers positions, executive positions in the best players in the world. the industry. This is something we've already gotten a lot of positive We have PGA members going into the media, so all response back from our PGA members, from members of aspects. Our career services department has worked clubs and golfers around the country talking about how this really hard over the last couple years to offer that to 107528-2-1095 2021-05-18 19:36:00 GMT Page 2 of 10 different companies and golf courses around the country.

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